Pool Party in Hell
by Ninjazz
Summary: After the horrors of Raccoon City and Rockfort Island, Chris tries to throw a surprise pool party for Claire's 20th birthday, hoping to bring some joy back into her life; until everything goes wrong.
1. Planning the Surprise

"Hurry up Chris, it's almost time!" Jill shouted.

Chris walked out onto the patio, carrying a tray with burger-buns, ketchup, mustard, and of course, cheese slices. He set them down on a table next to the barbecue, and looked over to Jill. She was setting paper plates on a large patio table, and he couldn't help but smile. "You know, nobody ever uses the plates for cheeseburgers..." he said.

Jill looked up and glared at him. Just then, there was a ringing at the front door, which they conveniently heard due to re-wired doorbell speakers. "Get that, will you?" Jill said.

Chris grinned and headed back in the house. He walked over to the door and opened it, seeing his old friend Barry Burton, and the young Rebecca Chambers. He smiled. "Carpool?" he asked.

Barry grinned, patting him on the arm as he walked inside the house. "Just a random coincidence," he said.

Rebecca followed him in. "It's actually not that random, since he asked us to be here at a certain time...we just both happened to be on time is all," she said, smiling to Barry.

Barry looked at her and laughed. "Hey, no outsmarting me off the clock got it?" he said.

Rebecca grinned and gave him a salute. "Yes sir!"

Chris watched them both, and laughed. "Well I'm glad you made it! Come on, we're still setting up outside, so maybe you guys can give us a hand?" he said.

Barry nodded and walked towards the patio doors. Rebecca looked around at the living room as she followed Barry through the house. "So, this is the Redfield house, huh?" she said.

Chris laughed again. "One of them," he said.

Rebecca looked at him. "And she has no idea we're in here?" she asked. "Wouldn't that technically be trespassing?"

"Hey, I do have a spare key you know," Chris said. They all stepped outside, and Rebecca grinned. Chris noticed and looked over to her. "What?" he asked.

Rebecca looked over to Jill, who was running around the table setting napkins. "Would that be your spare key?" she asked, still grinning.

Chris followed her gaze, and sighed. "You know, those jokes are starting to get old..." he said.

Barry walked across the patio. "There's my favourite little sandwich!" he said to Jill.

Chris frowned. "And speaking of old jokes..."

Jill looked up and glared at Barry. She then faked a smile and set the napkins down and stood away from the table. "Oh Barry, you'll never change. Come on over here," she said, holding her arms open for a hug. Barry grinned and walked over to her to give her that welcoming friendly bear-hug of his, only Jill stepped aside quickly and watched as he leaned forward, falling into the pool. He surfaced quickly and looked over to her. She crouched next to the pool and smiled.  
"Oops," Jill said.

Barry swam over to the side and looked up at her. "Well-played," he said. He grabbed the side of the pool and started pulling himself out, but fell back in, and sighed. "Must be getting old if I can't even climb out of a pool," he said.

Jill felt bad and held out her hand. "Here," she said.

"Jill no!" Chris shouted.

Barry grinned and grabbed her hand, yanking her in the pool with him. She popped her head out from the water and blinked. Barry burst out laughing. "Now, we're even," he said.

Jill laughed and splashed water at him. Chris walked over to the pool and folded his arms. "When you guys are done acting childish, maybe we can finish setting up?" he said.

"Uh oh, we're being scolded!" Jill said, swimming to the ladder.

"She started it," Barry said, pulling himself up on the side of the pool. He looked down at his dripping clothes and grinned over to Jill. "This isn't over," he said.

Jill nodded. "I didn't think it would be," she replied, laughing. They circled around the pool to meet up with Rebecca, who had finished setting the napkins for Jill.

The doorbell rang again, and Jill headed for the patio door, then inside.

Barry walked over to Chris and patted him on the back. "I think this'll be a great party," he said.

Chris nodded, but still looked worried. "I just hope it goes well...she hasn't had much fun since I can remember," he said.

Barry smiled, and looked around. "You've got friends, a pool, and cheeseburgers...I'm pretty sure she'll have more fun than anyone's ever had," he said.

Chris sighed and looked at Barry. "I hope so."

Jill walked back to the patio, with Leon Kennedy behind her. He looked around at the yard, and went over to put a present on a table next to a few others. "Nice place," he said.

"You've never been here?" Chris asked.

Leon shook his head then grinned. "Not sober, anyways..." he said.

Chris took a step forward but Jill put her hand on his shoulder. "He's joking, Chris, relax," she said. Chris looked at her, then over to Leon, and nodded.

"When is she getting home, anyways?" Rebecca asked, walking over to them.

Chris checked his watch, and looked at her. "Should be anytime now, actually," he said. "You guys all know what to do, right?" he asked around.

Everyone nodded, and Chris looked around again. Everything seemed to be ready. He jumped when a hand touched his back. He turned and saw Jill. "Stop worrying, everything looks great," she said, smiling.

Chris smiled back, and looked down. "I just wish she'd had a more normal life, you know?" he said.

Jill reached out and hugged him. "You're such a good brother."

Just then, they heard the roar of a Harley engine. Chris stepped back from Jill and looked at the others. "She's here! Hide!" he said.

Everyone ran to different hiding places in the yard. Barry was in the bushes next to the pool, with Rebecca in the ones next to him. Leon ran and hid in the pool-supply shed, while Jill ducked behind one of the big lounge chairs.

Chris looked around once more to make sure everyone was completely out of sight. Satisfied, he walked inside the house and ducked down behind the kitchen counter, and waited.


	2. Here We Go Again

Claire was speeding down the road on her Harley, her heart racing and adrenaline pumping. She had been sitting at a coffee place downtown waiting for Chris when he called asking her to meet him there, but he never showed. When she'd been about to leave, there was screaming outside, and she rushed out only to find her nightmares come to life; another outbreak, only this time it was happening in a city way bigger than Raccoon. It was happening in her hometown of New York. If she hadn't seen it happen before, she would've thought it to be impossible. Of course, everybody in the city was panicking, and it was hard to tell which ones were infected or not. She wanted to help, but she was unarmed and probably the only one thinking straight amidst the chaos. She did what she could, and hopped on her motorcycle, leaving the madness behind, and headed home as fast as she could.

She turned onto the main street that lead to her crescent, and as she turned a car headed straight for her. She reacted quickly and swerved the bike out of the car's way, but couldn't keep her balance and dropped to the ground. She heard the bike scraping on the pavement, and felt her arm do the same thing. She looked up and saw the car drive right by her, and crashed into a street sign. She could see the driver inside; infected. The window on the driver's side was broken, and the creature was starting to climb out, apparently unaffected by the crash.

"Shit!" Claire said. She gathered her thoughts and got up quickly, running over to the Harley. She brought it up and tried the ignition. "Come on, baby, work!" she said. The motorcycle roared, and Claire felt slight hope. She hopped on and drove off at full speed. She turned the bike on her crescent and finally pulled into her driveway. She wished she could take out the tools and fix the Harley, but there was no time. She shut off the engine and ran to the door. It wasn't locked. "Stupid!" she said.

She opened the door, ran inside, and closed it fast. This time, she locked it, along with the dead bolts and the chain. She turned and took in a deep breath, her thoughts racing about what to do now. Of course, her first thought was to call Chris.

She took a step forward, but suddenly realised something...there was a random draft coming in, and she wasn't one to leave windows open. She looked around, and froze entirely when she saw the patio door wide open. She looked outside but couldn't really see anything from her angle. She looked around again, and her gaze stopped at the kitchen. The only gun she owned, a present from Chris a few years back, was kept in her bedroom, and she didn't know if anything had gotten inside so it was a big risk to take. Instead, she slowly made her way to the kitchen. All of the past events had taught her to walk around very quietly, so her feet weren't making a sound. She paused, looking at the counter, suddenly feeling another presence. _Shit, shit, shit!_ She thought. She reached over and grabbed the biggest kitchen knife, and took another slow step forward. She took in a deep breath, and jumped around the corner of the counter, and her heart skipped a beat.

"Jesus Christ, Chris!" she yelled out, and leaned back against the pantry.

Chris looked at his sister and would've said a paranoia joke, but instantly caught the panic in her eyes. "Claire, what's wrong? What happened?" he asked, getting up and running to her.

She looked at him, and shook her head. "It's...happening again..." she said.

"What's happening?" he asked.

Claire looked right at him. "A spill, a virus, a freaking apocalypse, I don't know!"

Chris's eyes went wide. "What exactly did you see?" he asked her.

"I was at the shop, and there was screaming. I went outside to see, and there were people, but they weren't normal...like in Raccoon. I wanted to help, really I did!" she said.

Chris frowned. She was shaking, and seemed on the verge of tears. He reached down and took the knife from her hand, noticing a bleeding gash on her arm. At that moment, it seemed like the entire world stopped moving; like time froze, and nothing was important anymore. He grabbed her shoulders and looked right into her eyes. "Claire...you weren't..."

She looked back to him. "What?"

He grabbed her arm and brought it up. "This. Please tell me you weren't-"

Claire shook her head. "God, no, I fell off my bike," she said.

Chris grabbed her and pulled her in his arms, hugging her tightly. He had never been as scared in his entire life.

"What're we supposed to do now?" Claire asked.

Chris pulled back and looked at her arm again. "Wait here," he said, and he turned to head for the patio door. He stuck his head out and looked towards the bushes. "Rebecca, I need you in here right away!" he called out.

Claire was surprised to see Chris' friend Rebecca jump out from the bushes and run towards the house. "What is it?" she asked, seeing Chris's serious expressions. He walked back inside, and she followed him. When she saw Claire, she looked confused. "Chris, I don't think you understand the concept of 'surprise'," she said.

Chris looked at her seriously. "She's hurt, so can you check it out please? I'll get the others...the party's over," he said, and headed back outside.

Rebecca noticed he was worried about something, and saw the same look on his sister. She walked over to Claire and smiled, hoping to lighten up the moment. "So what happened?" she asked.

Claire sighed, holding up her arm. "It's nothing, just wiped out on the bike," she said.

Rebecca took the arm and examined it a bit. "It's not deep enough for stitches, but there's gravel in it, so it'll need to be disinfected," she said.

"Under the sink in the bathroom," Claire said.

"Are you feeling dizzy or nauseated at all?" Rebecca asked.

Claire nodded. "A bit of both, but it might be for other reasons."

Rebecca looked at her in the eyes. She saw panic, confusion, fear, and she suddenly remembered seeing the same things in her own reflection a year ago. "What exactly happened?" she asked.

Claire looked over to the patio and saw Chris speaking with Barry, Leon and Jill outside. She looked back to Rebecca. "Another spill, right here in New York," she said.

Rebecca gasped. "No, way!" she said.

Claire nodded. "It never ends...Did I miss something?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" asked Rebecca, following Claire's gaze to the others. "Oh...well, it was supposed to be a surprise. Chris organized it, hoping you'd have a normal good time for once."

Claire grinned. "Oh the cruel irony that is my life..." she said.

Rebecca giggled. "Come on, let's get that arm patched up," she said.

Claire looked at the others outside, and started towards the bathroom followed by Rebecca. "It's really not that bad..." Claire said, walking in the bathroom.

Rebecca stopped and looked over to the others when they walked back inside the house. She walked over, sighing. "So, is there a plan?" she asked.

Chris shook his head. "Not yet, we're kind of hoping for your smarts on this one. How's Claire?" he asked.

Rebecca looked over to the washroom. "Just needs to be disinfected and patched up, she'll live."

"Oh my God, Claire's infected!" asked Leon.

Rebecca waved her hands in the air. "No, no! The cut might be infected, from the gravel. It's really nothing. As for the situation, I suggest we hold out here until we know exactly what to do. So far it seems safe," she said.

Jill nodded. "The whole backyard is fenced up, and if anything comes from there we'll be able to spot it right away," she said.

Barry grinned. "Does that mean we can still have a party?" he asked.

Chris glared at him. "I know you're just kidding, Barry, but now's not the time," he said.

"Lighten up, kid, we're perfectly safe here," said Barry.

"Not really, we don't have any guns or backup, or anything like that. How are we safe?" Chris asked.

Barry sighed. "You're right...Man, the one time I leave my gun at home..." he said.

Rebecca couldn't help but smile. "I know this is probably everyone's worst nightmare...but I'm glad we're all together for it. There's more experience in this house than anywhere else, and we can use that to our advantage," she said.

Jill nodded. "She's right. We've all had the proper training for any situations, especially this one."

Barry walked over to the patio door, and closed it. He made sure the lock was in place, and looked outside again. "Do we know how bad it is?" he asked.

"I don't think so," Chris said. He looked around, confused. "Hey, where'd Leon go?" he asked.

* * *

Claire stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, and sighed. Her head was hurting, she did feel very nauseous, and her arm felt like it was on fire. She had kept the door slightly open, and could hear their conversation in the other room.

"She's right. We've all had the proper training for any situations, especially this one," Jill said. Claire shook her head. _Everyone but me...If one thing goes wrong I could get them all killed,_ she thought.

There was a quick knock, and the door opened up. Claire jumped and turned, seeing Leon standing there.

"Hey, you okay in here?" he asked.

"Yeah, hang on...okay good, I think my heart just started beating again," she said.

Leon grinned. "At least you still have your humour," he said as he walked in. He looked down at the gash on her arm, and sighed. "Need a hand?" he asked.

Claire shook her head. "I'm fine, it doesn't even hurt. Shouldn't you be with the other fully trained people, thinking up a plan?" she asked.

Leon frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.

She looked over to him, and back down again. "It's nothing," she said.

Leon smiled. "Liar...well, I think I understand though. If you're thinking what I think you are, then just know that even without training, you kick ass and I can vouch for it," he said.

Claire shook her head. "You're just saying that to cheer me up, I know I'd end up being useless," she said.

"Hey, I'm alive because of our teamwork back in Raccoon, and you know it. And I'm sure you've saved a bunch of other people too, so there's nothing to feel useless about," he said.

Claire thought back to Raccoon City. She'd escaped hordes of zombies, giant monsters, and mutated bugs, and it was true that she hadn't gotten out alone. _We all got out,_ she thought.

Her thoughts drifted to later that year, when she'd been captured by Umbrella and imprisoned on an island, which had been virally overrun. The thought brought a sudden sadness.

"Claire?" Leon snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked up at him, and forced a smile. "You're right," she said, "we survived Raccoon, with or without training. I mean, even YOU were just a rookie cop, right?"

Leon nodded, smiling. "That's the attitude! We really need your help in this, so please don't think of yourself as useless. You've saved more lives than you can think of. Come on, let's go get Rebecca to clean that wound, and lets think us up a plan!" he said, heading out of the bathroom.

"Yeah," Claire said, and her smile faded as soon as Leon was out the door. She looked into the mirror again. _Wish I could've saved just one more,_ she thought. She then turned and left the bathroom, following Leon back to the rest of the group.


	3. We Need a Plan

"We can't go out there, Rebecca," Jill said.

"I'm just saying we can't hold out here forever. What if they do the same thing here that they did for Raccoon?" Rebecca said.

"You mean nuke the shit out of it?" Claire said as she and Leon approached the others.

Rebecca looked over, and frowned. "Well, yeah...if you put it that way," she said.

"Are you feeling okay, Claire?" asked Chris, worried.

"Yeah, you're really pale," said Jill.

"I'm fine," Claire said. "Did you guys come up with a plan?" she asked.

Rebecca walked over to her. "Sort of, we're holding up here until we know exactly what's going on, and how bad it is," she said. "What exactly did you see?"

Claire sighed. "Well it was all really fast, but there was screaming outside, and when I got there I saw man getting his gut eaten while he screamed for his life. People all around were either screaming or running from more zombies. This one guy looked like he was trying to run but was held back by what seemed to be his entrails, held by another zombie. These guys were fast, and they could literally cut through a guy's liver with their nails, it was...what?" she asked, noticing that Rebecca's face had turned to disgust, along with Leon and Barry.

"That's...very descriptive and gory..." Jill said.

"It gave me a mental image that I know will haunt me forever," Rebecca said, taking in a deep breath.

Claire shrugged. "You asked what I saw, so I told you," she said.

"I really wish you'd never have to see something like that," Chris said, disturbed. He walked over to his sister and hugged her. She didn't move. He looked down and noticed the gash again. "Hey, did that thing get taken care of?" he asked.

Claire took a step back and looked at her arm, which still felt like it was on fire. "No, but it's not that bad, really."

Rebecca stepped forward. "Come on, we'll take care of it before-"

BAM; a knock on the door made them all jump.

"What the hell was that?" Barry asked.

Claire bolted for her bedroom, with Chris following. "Wait, where are you-"  
"My gun, Chris, it's in my room!" she said.

Chris paused, and couldn't help but smile. "You keep a gun in your room?" he asked.

She ran inside and pulled the closet door open. She reached up on the shelf and grabbed a holster and a small box. The gun was already in the holster, and the box held a magazine. She winced at the pain in her arm, and ran back out to Chris. "It's the one you gave me," she said.

Chris smiled again. "Oh Claire, I'm so happy you weren't into dolls and ponies," he said, taking the holster from her. "Now, about that arm," he said.

"No, now's not the time. You guys didn't bring any weapons?" she asked.

Chris shook his head. "Today wasn't supposed to turn out this way. Are you sure you'll be okay? If ever you start feeling tired or scared, tell me okay?" he said.

Claire rolled her eyes. "Where were you for that last year?" she said.

Chris frowned. "Hey, we've already talked about this..." he said.

"I know, I'm just saying...I'm twenty, not five. You don't have to be so protective," she said.

"It's my job. Oh, and for what it's worth...happy birthday," he said, smiling.

Claire grinned. "Yeah, happy, woo-freaking-hoo," she said.

* * *

Barry was looking outside the window next to the door, being very careful in case something broke through. Jill was going through the kitchen hoping to find something that could serve as a weapon. Rebecca was doing the same in the closet, while Leon was in the bathroom. He wasn't looking for a weapon; he just really needed to go.

"What's the verdict, Barry?" asked Jill, pulling out various knives but discarding them instantly.

"Zombies; three of them," he said. "They're crimsons, so they might figure out the door soon."

"Goddamn zombies...Rebecca, status," Jill said.

"Nothing, unless you count an umbrella as a weapon," she said.

Chris and Claire walked back into the room. Claire looked over to Rebecca, grinning. "What kind of moron would be caught using an umbrella as a weapon? It's ironic and just plain stupid," she said.

"Agreed, but it's seriously the most threatening thing in here. Sorry for going through your stuff, by the way," Rebecca said.

Claire shook her head. "No worries," she said.

Rebecca looked over to smile at Claire, and her eyes went wide when she saw Chris holding a gun. "Where'd you get that!" she asked. Jill looked up too, and grinned.

"It's mine," Claire said.

"You have a gun?" Rebecca asked.

Jill burst out laughing. "She's a Redfield...Reds are always packing," she said.

Barry turned around and grinned at Jill. "Amen," he said. Jill grinned back.

"I'd take that to offense, but this gun might be saving all of our asses so I guess you're right," Chris said.

Leon walked out of the bathroom and looked around. "What'd I miss?" he asked.

"Claire has a gun, 'Becca has an umbrella, and Jill's got a sense of humour," Chris said.

Leon blinked. "Good god, we're all doomed!" he said, sarcastically. "But hooray for the gun, though."

Barry looked outside again. "I have my Colt in the car. The only thing is it's parked around the block, because SOMEONE wanted us to hide our cars," he said, glancing over at Chris.

"It was supposed to be a surprise!" Chris protested.

Jill laughed again, and walked over to them. She threw her arms up in the air and looked at Claire. "Surprise!" she said.

Claire didn't seem very amused. Jill put her arms back down, still grinning.

"We have to get outside," Leon said.

They all looked at him. "Well, it's not as easy as it sounds," said Barry.

Leon shook his head. "I mean out back," he said, walking over to the patio doors.

"That's so not a good idea," Rebecca said.

"The whole yard's fenced, right? I'll run out and back in before anything even knows I'm there," he said.

"I'm with Rebecca on this, dude...not a good idea," Chris said.

Leon sighed, and looked around. He checked every visible corner, and once satisfied he turned to them again. "I'm going. If anything happens, close the door and lock it," he said.

"Gotcha," Jill said. She walked over and stood by the door with him.  
Leon frowned. "Wait, you'd actually just lock the door and leave me out there? You wouldn't just help?" he asked. Jill grinned, and he did the same. "Wow, I guess that sense of humour can actually be a deadly weapon in your hands," he said.

"You should try her cooking," Barry said, laughing.

Jill glared at him, and stuck out her tongue. "Jerk," she said.  
Leon grabbed the handle of the patio door. "Well, I'll be right back then," he said. He opened the door and ran out, heading straight for the table with the gifts. He grabbed his, and heard a moaning sound coming from the bushes. "Shit," he said as he turned and ran back to the house.

Jill grabbed the handle and stepped aside to let him in, then closed the door fast, locking it.

"A gift...you ran out like a moron for a freaking gift?" Jill asked.

Leon nodded and walked over to Claire, handing her the gift. "Happy birthday," he said.

Claire grabbed the package and raised a brow. "You're really weird, you know that?" she said.

"Come on, open it!" said Leon.

Claire nodded and ripped off the gift-wrap. "Ooh, a box...you shouldn't have," she said jokingly.

Leon sighed. "Open the box, Claire," he said.

Barry looked back outside to make sure the zombies weren't getting progressive with the door. Rebecca walked over, as did Jill, and they all watched. "I still don't get why you risked your life for a gift," Jill said.

Claire opened the box and grinned. "I get it," she said.  
Rebecca was almost as jumpy as a kid on Christmas. "What's inside?" she asked.

Claire reached in the box and pulled out a handgun, and Chris almost laughed. "You couldn't have said something before, right?" he asked.

"It was supposed to be a surprise," he said.

"Thanks Leon, clearly it's pretty AND practical," Claire said. Leon nodded, and Claire reached in the box to fish out the two magazines that came with it.

Leon smiled. "Glad you like it. I was debating between this, and something older like a Luger...they looked really nice, painted gold, and some even came paired for a really good price," he said.

"Claire?" Chris asked, sounding alarmed. Her eyes were red and watery, and he could tell by her expressions that it wasn't a happy-cry. "You okay?" he asked.

She nodded and handed Chris the gun, then turned and headed for the bathroom. "I'll be right back," she said, walking inside and closing the door.

Leon blinked. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset her...Would she have preferred the Luger?" he asked.

Chris shook his head. "No, Leon, this one was perfect," he said.

Leon sighed. "Funny, but I seem to be getting the opposite impression," he said.

Jill walked over to the fridge and looked inside, trying to find a juice or soda. Rebecca walked over to Barry and looked out the window on the opposite side of the door.

Chris walked towards the couch, with Leon following him. "See, when Claire was on that island she made a friend, Steve. She told me the whole story, about what they went through to find a plane, and up until the point when they got separated. She mentioned that he'd carried around Lugers, but had to give them up to complete one of those puzzles we all hate so much," he said.

Leon seemed to be understanding. "Steve didn't make it, did he..." he said.

Chris nodded. "She saw him die, and I swear I'd never felt worse in my life then I did when I found her there, crying next to him," he said.

"Wow, that's really sad," Leon said.

Chris nodded again, and smiled up at Jill as she walked over with two juice boxes.

Leon sighed. "Will she be okay?" he asked.

Jill looked at the bathroom door, then back to Chris who was reaching for the second juice. She pulled it away. "No, Chris, not for you," she said.

"But you have two!" he said.

She rolled her eyes. "It's for your sister, dummy. Juice always cheers me up, so I'll bring it to her and work my miracle," she said.

"Tell her I'm sorry, please," Leon said.

Jill nodded and went to the bathroom. Chris patted Leon on the back. "Don't worry, you didn't upset her. She's just still sensitive about Steve," he said. Leon nodded.


	4. Let's Move

Jill balanced the two juices in one hand, and gently knocked on the door of the bathroom. There was no answer. She knocked again, then turned the knob and poked her head inside. Claire was sitting with her back against a wall, and her head leaned on the linen closet. "Hey there, mind if I join you?" Jill asked. Claire nodded, and Jill blinked. "Is that a yes I can join you, or a yes you mind if I do..." she asked.

Claire smiled slightly, and Jill walked inside, shutting the door behind her. She handed a juice box to Claire, who took it and took a sip. "So, Chris told us what happened, and I'm really sorry," she said.

"Me too," Claire said.

In her head, Jill was smiling. _Words, good, we're getting somewhere, _she thought. She sat down in front of Claire. "I know how it is, to lose friends for the dumbest causes, and I would never wish it on someone else...but if you want, you can talk to me about it," she said.

Claire sipped the juice, nodding.

"And to Chris, too, I'm sure he's worried sick. Oh, and Leon says he's sorry," she said.

"Aw, I'm not mad at him, he didn't know. I just really wished I could've helped him," she said.

"I'm sure you did what you could," Jill said, sipping the juice.

"Yeah, which is shit all...I'm not trained and professional like all of you, I can't do anything useful when it comes to this stuff," she said.

Jill almost choked on the juice. "Do you honestly think you're useless?" she asked. Claire nodded, and Jill shook her head. "Don't ever think that! Everyone has their own skill to bring to the group," she said.

"Like what," Claire asked, leaning her head on the closet again.

"Well for one, a viral outbreak would've happened today whether we like it or not. Second, if it hadn't been for your quick thinking, you never would've got here as fast and alerted the rest of us. We were all hiding in the damn trees outside, anything could've grabbed us there," Jill said.

"Yeah well, I didn't even know you guys were here," Claire said.

"Maybe not, but you still got us all inside, and fast. If you had stayed at the coffee place and hidden in a closet or something like some of the cowards out there, we'd probably be something's meal right about now," Jill said.

Claire sighed. "I guess," she said.

"We have guns because of you, and a big house to hold up in, so don't ever think you're useless. I won't stand by it," Jill said, finishing the juice.

Claire smiled. "Thanks," she said. "That actually really helped."

Jill nodded. "I'm pretty much awesome," she said. "Come on, how about we go tell the guys what to do? It's always fun," she said, smiling.

Claire nodded and got up. "Man, now I feel stupid," she said.

"Yeah, crying over losing friends? You're such a loser," Jill said, turning for the door. She could hear Claire laughing, and was relieved that the poor girl didn't take that comment seriously. She opened the door and stepped out, followed by Claire. They walked back to the main room, where Leon, Chris and Barry were pressed up against the front door, and Rebecca was aiming Claire's new gun at the patio doors, where several zombies were pounding on the glass. "Holy shit, what happened!" asked Jill.

Chris looked up with a very worried expression. "One almost broke in, we can't hold this forever!" he said.

"They'll break those doors pretty soon, too! Not enough ammo to kill all of them!" Rebecca shouted.

"I think we were safer in the bathroom!" Claire said, running to the kitchen and ducking down to search in the cabinet under the sink.

Jill went over to Chris and took the other gun, then went to join Rebecca. "So, we have sixteen shots loaded, and three magazines, with five zombies...we should be okay, right?" she asked. She saw Rebecca nod uncertainly, and frowned. They both knew that if even one of the zombies got inside, more would keep coming until they were finally out of ammo.

"We need to move now, before it's too late," Rebecca said.  
Jill nodded in agreement, and turned to look at the guys. "We need a plan, and fast," she said.

Chris looked at her and shrugged. "I don't know if we can get outside and safely get to a car," he said. He glanced curiously over to Claire as she swore and mumbled, searching the cabinet.

They all heard the sound of glass cracking, and Rebecca yelled out "the glass is about to break!"

Jill kept her aim on the window with Rebecca, and the guys all looked panicked. Leon suddenly ran to the couch, and started pushing it towards the front door. Barry and Chris nodded, and moved out of the way as Leon pushed the couch against the door. The weight was able to keep the door from opening.

"Great, now what about THE DAMN PATIO DOORS!" asked Jill.

Barry and Chris ran over to them and looked around for something to use as either barricade, or weapon. Leon went to see what Claire was doing. He ducked down next to her, and looked at the cabinet. "What are you doing?" he asked.

Claire jumped at his voice, banging the back of her head on the counter. She pulled back out of the cabinet and rubbed her head, looking at him. "Stop sneaking up on me like that!" she said.

Leon winced. "Sorry! Man, I'm such an ass to you today," he said.

Claire shook her head, and kept searching in the cabinet. "Don't worry about it, Leon. Oh, and I'm looking for a key I usually keep down here. If we can get to the basement, I've got tools there that we can use as weapons," she said.

"And we can hold up easier in a basement, too. Are there any other ways to get out?" Leon asked.

Claire nodded. "There's a random sewer access, though I still don't know why. All they told me was that the house was just built over it, and to enter at my own risk," she said. She pulled back out of the cabinet holding a set of three keys, grinning. "Got it!" she said.

Just then the patio door broke and loud growls were heard, followed by gunshots. Five shots later, the growling stopped, but was replaced by the pounding at the front door. Leon stood up and looked over. "Five headshots...you guys are good," he said, but Jill and Rebecca seemed absorbed in the moment and were keeping their attention to the now broken patio doors.

Chris looked over to Leon and Claire. "So, do we have a plan?" he asked.

Leon nodded. "Apparently, there's a sewer access in the basement," he said. He watched as Claire walked by him and headed down the stairs which were right next to the kitchen, then looked back to Chris. "Seems like a good plan," he said.

Chris nodded. "Good enough. If the zombies are there too, we'll figure something out," he said.

"Do we have enough ammo to hold off if we're stuck in the basement?" Barry asked as he walked over. He'd pushed a lounge chair in front of the door to barricade it, and it seemed to be holding well enough.

"We should, as long as the sewers aren't full of them," Chris said.

"Isn't that a bit of a risk?" asked Rebecca, still aiming at the patio doors with Jill.

Chris sighed. "Risks are something we have to take at this point," he said. He didn't like the idea of going in the sewers with no clue as to what was waiting there, but they didn't have much of a choice.

There was a loud 'thud' sound from the bottom of the stairs, and everyone looked in the basement's direction. "What the hell was that?" asked Jill.

Chris took in a deep breath, running several thoughts at once. "Claire?" he called out.

Leon noticed he sounded shaky and terrified, and stuck his head in the stairway. "Claire, are you okay?" he called out.

"Fucking key's not working!" yelled Claire from the bottom.

Chris let out a heavy sigh of relief and walked down the stairs.

Leon looked over to Barry, who was smiling. "What's so funny?" he asked.

Barry finally laughed. "That girl's going to give Chris a heart attack someday," he said.

There was another loud thud, and Jill laughed. "My turn," she said as she walked down the stairs. Barry burst out laughing and walked to the stairs.

Rebecca looked back to the patio doors when a movement caught her attention. A zombie stepped out from the bushes, and she fired a round right between its eyes. She grinned and looked over to Barry. "Maybe we should get moving soon?" she asked.

Barry nodded. "Good thing we always have a spare key," he said.

"I heard that, Barry!" Jill shouted from downstairs.

Barry laughed and walked down the stairs, followed by Leon and Rebecca. They reached the bottom where Claire was sitting on the last step, with Chris standing by her. "Where's Jill?" asked Barry.

"She went to check around and make sure it's clear," Chris said.

"So what was the banging anyways?" Leon asked, sitting next to Claire.

Claire grinned. "Well, the key wouldn't work so I kicked the door. I knew it wouldn't help, but apparently Chris thought it would if he did it too," she said, glancing up to her brother, who stuck his tongue out.

"Hey, you never know," he said. "Brute strength can prove to be useful sometimes."

Claire rolled her eyes. "Please, you couldn't even beat Leon in arm wrestling," she said.

Leon jabbed her in the side with his elbow. "What are you saying?" he asked, grinning.

Claire laughed, holding her hands up. "It was a joke, officer! Calm down!" she said with a giggle.

Chris watched them closely, but was distracted when Jill walked back out of the basement. "It's clear, come on," she said, and walked back inside. Barry and Rebecca followed her, followed by Claire, but Chris stayed behind. He grabbed Leon's arm as he passed, and stepped in front of him. "Hey, I need to talk with you," he said.

Leon blinked, but nodded. "What is it?" he asked.

"Don't get too close to Claire," Chris said bluntly. "She's still sensitive about Steve, and I don't want her getting her anymore than she already has."

Leon was caught off guard. He shook his head and walked around Chris towards the basement. "First off, you've got it all wrong. Claire and I are good friends, and I'd never do anything to hurt her. Plus, I know she wouldn't be happy with you trying to control everything like this," he said.

Chris walked close behind him. "I'm warning you, Kennedy. Don't go there," he said.

Leon glanced back to Chris. "Look, from what I've heard, you two were growing apart before the whole Umbrella mess, so if none of it had happened I'm sure you wouldn't be having this discussion with me," he said.

"You're playing with fire here," Chris said.

They both jumped when Jill stepped out from the basement. "Leon, get in there and help Barry with the sewer cover. Chris, I think you should sit down before you have an aneurysm," she said.

"I'm just saying, I don't-"

"Want your sister to get hurt, I know. And I'm sure Leon knows that too," she said. "But you don't have to scare the poor boy, Chris. He seems like a nice guy, and can obviously take care of himself and others around him."

Chris sighed. "What are you saying?" he asked.

"If they get close just let them," Jill said, smiling.

"We'll see," Chris said. He walked by Jill and headed in the basement.

Jill sighed and followed him. "Big brother mode, activated," she said, shaking her head.


	5. Change Of Plan

Barry looked down the sewer hole, and shook his head. "It's too dark to see anything," he said.

Claire walked over to a shelving unit, and came back with two flashlights. She handed one to Barry, and he grinned. "Why, thank you!" he said. He used the light to look down and sighed. "Well there's water, but I don't think it's too high. We should be able to walk through it," he said.

"And what do we do if we run into a horde of zombies?" asked Rebecca.

Barry looked up to Chris, who held up a gun. "We fight through, and get back out of the sewers through another manhole," he said.

"And what if they jump us right when we get down there?" she asked.

Chris paused. "I actually didn't think of that," he said.

Leon sighed. "Someone has to check it out," he said.

"That's stupid," Chris said.

Claire stepped forward. "Actually, it's the only way to know for sure," she said. She caught a glare from Chris, and shrugged. "Unless you have a better idea," she added.

"Leon's right," Jill said. She sat down on the side of the sewer hole and looked at Barry. "Flashlight?" she asked.

Barry shook his head. "I'll go, I'm older," he said.

Jill reached up and grabbed the light from his hand, and smiled. "That's why you're staying here, might need to climb up fast and wouldn't want you to hurt your back or anything," she said.

Barry laughed, having no idea how to respond. Jill looked at Chris, who looked like a sad puppy worried about its owner. "If there were zombies down there, we would be hearing some sort of noise and you know it," she said. She stepped onto the ladder and climbed down. They watched as she disappeared into the darkness.

Jill reached the bottom, cold water going up to her hip, and turned on the light. In one direction there was a gate, and the other seemed like an empty tunnel. She grinned and looked back up. "It's good!" she called out.

Barry was the first one to go down the ladder. He skipped the last step and landed next to Jill. "Whoa! That's cold!" he said.

Rebecca stopped halfway down the ladder. "How cold is it? We can't risk hypothermia," she said.

"It's not THAT cold, doctor. Come on!" Barry said, shining his light up the ladder.

Rebecca hopped down and looked around. "Sure smells, though," she said.

Leon climbed halfway and jumped down the rest. He walked down the tunnel a bit, looking around.

Claire was the next one down, followed by Chris who shut the sewer entrance behind him. "Well seems like we'll be fine," Chris said, "we would've heard them by whoa!" his foot slipped on the ladder and he dropped down, hitting Claire on the way. They both plunged in the water, splashing the others.

Barry grabbed Claire's arm and pulled her up, while Jill did the same for Chris. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Chris nodded and looked over to Claire. "Sorry, my foot slipped," he said.

She glared at him, and sighed. "Don't worry about it," she said. Her hair was dripping in her face, and she had to brush the bangs away from her eyes. "Well that's just gross."

Chris frowned, and turned to Jill. "So we have two guns and two flashlights, right?" he asked.

Jill nodded. "I think we should try getting to Barry's car, get his gun, then find a gun shop," she said.

"Should we split up?" Barry asked.

Jill looked at him. "Why would we do that? We only have two guns!" she said.

Barry shrugged. "One group could find my car, and the other finds the shop. We have cell phones, so we could meet up again after," he said.

"That's actually not a bad idea," Chris said. "Alright, Jill and I will go straight down the tunnel, and you guys take that turn up ahead," he said.

Rebecca handed the gun to Barry. "Here, you have a better shot," she said. He grinned and handed her the flashlight, and the group started down the tunnel.

Leon walked next to Claire, and nudged her. "Here we go again, huh?" he said.

Claire nodded. "I've had it with these damn sewers," she said.

Leon laughed. "When do you think the giant alligator will show up?" he asked.

"It was a crocodile, Leon," she said.

"No, I'm pretty sure it was an alligator," he replied, grinning.

Claire couldn't help but smile. Once they reached the turn, Chris stopped and turned around. "Alright, we'll call Barry's phone in ten minutes to check-in, and from there we'll see what we can do," he said.

Barry nodded and headed down the tunnel, followed by Rebecca. Leon and Claire followed, but Chris grabbed Claire's arm on the way. "You're coming with us," he said.

Claire sighed and nodded. "I figured as much," she said.

Leon waved and followed the other two. They disappeared into the darkness.

Jill pointed the flashlight to Chris. "We should get going too," she said.

Claire walked over to Jill and they started down the tunnel. Chris noticed she was a bit off-balanced, and made a note to ask Rebecca about it later.

* * *

"Do you even know where the shop is?" Jill asked."It feels like we've been walking forever!"

"Hey, he said it was on Main Street...it's not the shortest street around," Chris said.

They'd called Barry three times already, and he'd told them he found his gun and were holding up in a small coffee shop on Main Street. Jill had told them they'd meet there, and wouldn't take long. That had been half an hour ago.

"And what if we're going in the wrong direction?" Jill asked.

Chris shrugged. "That's what I mean...it's a long street and I have no idea where it is," he said.

Jill pulled out her phone. "I'll call Barry and ask what's nearby, it might help us find it," she said.

Chris spotted a zombie walking around in the distance, but it hadn't seen them. It was stumbling near a car. He heard a strange gurgling noise and turned to see Claire leaning over a railing, throwing up. He quickly ran over. "What's wrong!" he asked.

Claire looked up, shaking her head. "My stomach hurts, that's all," she said.

Chris put his hand on her back, and looked up as Jill walked over. "We're going in the right direction; the shop's only a few blocks down. What's going on?" she asked.

"Claire was sick," Chris said.

"I'm okay now, really. I think it's just nerves or something," she said.

"Well we should find you some water," Chris said.

Jill walked over to Claire and put her hand on her forehead. "I don't think it's just nerves, you're burning up," she said.

"I'm fine," Claire said.

Chris looked at her eye-to-eye, and frowned. "You feel feverish, don't you," he said accusingly. Claire sighed and nodded.

"It's not that bad," she said.

"You're throwing up from a fever! It IS that bad!" Chris said. "What happened?"

Claire blinked, leaned over the railing and was sick again. Chris shot a worried look to Jill, but she shook her head. "It can't be an infection unless she was bitten," she said.

He looked back down to his sister. "Were you?" he asked.

Claire shook her head, but kept her head over the railing.

"How's your arm?" Jill asked.

Chris took Claire's arm and looked at the gash. "Looks pretty bad, didn't Rebecca clean it?" he asked.

Claire looked up at him and shook her head. "Never got around to it," she said.

"Shit...We should go find them as soon as possible," he said.

"You know, something might've gotten in there when she fell in the sewage water," Jill told Chris.

Chris looked up. "Something like what?" he asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

Jill shrugged. "Bacteria, dirt, anything that could cause an infection really," she said.

Claire stepped away from the railing, slightly misbalanced. "Can we just go? It's probably nothing," she said. Everything was spinning, and she had a hard time focusing on their faces.

"Let's find the others, and see what Rebecca says about it," Jill said.

"What a great birthday you turned out to have," Chris said to Claire.

She sighed. "Yeah, zombies and barfing...best day of my life," she said.

Jill grinned. "Get ready; next year, you'll be old enough to drink," she said.

Claire shook her head and started down the sidewalk. "If I make it that far," she said.

Chris grabbed her arm. "Hey! Don't ever say that!" he said.

She looked at him, sighing. "Look around Chris, we're surrounded by outbreaks and zombies, and monsters that are just NOT supposed to be here! No matter how hard we fight, we keep getting fucked in the end!" she said. She took a deep breath, and fell to the pavement.

Chris was next to her in an instant. He shook her slightly, and felt for a pulse. "She's unconscious," he said, looking up.

Jill could see the panic on his face. "It's the fever," she said. "Let's find the others, now."

Chris picked her up on his back, her head leaning on his neck. He looked at Jill as they walked down the road. "What if the virus got in that water, Jill?" he asked.

"It didn't," she said reassuringly.

"But what if it did!"

Jill sighed. "You'd be feeling sick too if it had, since you both went under. I'm putting all of my money on bacterial infection," she said. She smiled, hoping it would make him feel a bit better.

"How much money?" he asked.

Jill grinned. "Do I have to pull a bank job?" she asked.

Chris finally smiled back. They walked down the road, hoping the coffee shop was as close as Jill thought.

* * *

"Where the hell are they?" asked Leon, pacing back and forth.

"Alright, no more espressos for you," Rebecca said, taking a cup out of his hand when he walked by her.

Barry looked out the window. "You know, for a huge city like New York, you'd think there'd be more zombies out there," he said.

Rebecca nodded. "Maybe it's not as bad as we think?" she said.

Leon looked at them both. "It's pretty bad either way...I think we're just lucky that there aren't a lot of them nearby," he said.

Barry walked over to the backdoor and pulled at the handle again. He wanted to make sure it was still locked, so nothing could sneak up on them. Rebecca reloaded the guns, and Leon continued to pace. "They should be here by now!" he said.

"Would you stop walking around? You're making me nervous!" Rebecca said.

Leon sighed and sat on a chair. "Sorry, I'm just worried," he said. He looked up to Barry. "You said they weren't far when Jill called, right?" he asked.

Barry nodded, hopping up on the counter and taking his magnum from Rebecca. "They might've stopped somewhere, though," he said.

"Where would they stop at a time like this?" Leon asked.

Just then, there was a noise at the backdoor. Barry hopped off the counter, gun aimed at the door. It was a solid door with bolt-locks, but he had to be cautious. The knob was jiggling, and then there was banging.

"Barry?" called a muffled voice.

Barry sighed with instant recognition. "It's Jill!" he said, lowering his gun.

There was another knock. "Barry, it's us! Let us in!" Jill called again. He rushed to the door, unlocked it and opened it up with a smile, which soon faded when they stepped in. Chris nearly ran in with Claire on his back, heading straight for a lounge sofa. Barry closed the door, locked it, and joined the others gathering together.

Chris put Claire down on the sofa, Rebecca already at their sides. "What happened?" she asked.

"She fell unconscious," he said. "Jill says she's got a fever, too."

Rebecca put her hand against Claire's forehead, and grabbed her wrist to check the pulse. Jill sat down on a lounge chair. "My theory is an infection from the sewage water," she said. Leon went to the mini-fridge behind the counter and pulled out a bottle of water. He then took a small bag, reached into the large cooler and filled it with ice.

Rebecca examined the gash on Claire's arm, and frowned. She looked up to Chris, and he could see she was worried, which terrified him. "Don't give me that look!" he said.

The young medic sighed. "It's infected alright," she said. "I'm sorry, I should've cleaned it before...but I was distracted by the zombies, and after that everything sort of rushed around, I didn't even think about it," she said.

Chris put his hand on her shoulder. "Nobody's blaming you, Rebecca," he reassured her. "She didn't say anything, either," he said.

Leon ran back and handed the ice-bag to Rebecca. She nodded and put it on Claire's head. "She never mentioned feeling any dizziness?" she asked. Chris shook his head. She looked back down. "Well, I'll need some disinfectant, gauzes, and most likely rubbing alcohol," she said.

Barry smiled. "I'll go check the back and see if this place has a first aid kit," he said. Chris gave him a thankful smile as he left.

"I'll go make sure he doesn't get lost," Jill said, following Barry. He laughed and nudged her arm as they went to the back.

"She'll be fine, right?" Leon asked. Chris could hear the worry, and suddenly felt bad for saying what he did earlier that day. He looked back to Rebecca, as anxious to hear her response.

Rebecca nodded. "All we can do is clean the wound and wait until she wakes up. And when she does, make sure she drinks a lot of water, and make sure she doesn't move too fast," she said. She looked at Chris. "If she feels nauseated, let me know right away," she added.

Chris bit his bottom lip. "She already threw up," he said.

Rebecca blinked. "She did? How many times?" she asked, her tone urgent.

"Um, about three or four times, why? What's wrong?" he asked.

She sighed and looked at the arm again. "It might be worst than I thought," she said.

Leon stood and returned to his pacing. Chris looked down, unsure of what to think. "So we'll hold out here as long as we need to. Leon, you're coming with me," he said.

Leon looked over, confused. "Where are we going?" he asked.

Chris stood up and looked at him. "To the gun-shop...we'll need more fire power," he said.

"Alright, let's go before it gets too late," Leon said.

Chris grabbed the gun off the counter and looked back to Rebecca. "Call me if anything happens, okay?" he asked.

Rebecca nodded. "Be careful," she said.

He nodded and headed out the front door, followed by Leon. They headed down the road, in search of the gun shop.


	6. Waiting

"Sorry, run that by me again...they did what?" Jill asked impatiently.

Rebecca emptied a pack of sugar in the coffee she'd made herself. "They left, to get more guns from the shop," she said.

Jill was sitting in a lounge chair over by the sofa. When she and Barry had returned with the medical kit, Rebecca had been alone with Claire. Leon and Chris had gone, and she still couldn't understand why Chris would leave without at least telling her. She sighed and looked down at Claire, who was finally sleeping again. She'd woken up yelling when Rebecca had applied the alcohol, and had been constantly throwing up, until about ten minutes ago. _Poor kid,_ Jill thought.

She looked up at Rebecca again, and shook her head. "I don't get it, why would they just leave?" she asked.

Rebecca shrugged. "It might be faster and safer at only two people. Hey, you have Chris' cell phone number right?" she asked.

Jill grinned. "Of course," she said. She pulled out her cell phone from her pocket. "What's up?" she asked.

"Could you call him and check where they are? I'm starting to think they'll need to find a pharmacy," she said. Jill noticed the worry on her face.

"How serious is this thing?" she asked.

Rebecca sighed. "I've never really dealt with a fever this bad before, and I have no way of knowing what kind of infection got into the cut. The alcohol might prevent further infection, but to deal with what's already in her system we would most likely need antibiotics, and even then nothing's guaranteed," she said.

Jill blinked and looked back down to Claire, who was shivering and covered in a cold sweat. They'd searched the entire shop for some sort of blanket, but all they had was Barry's jacket, and even that didn't seem to help much. "Any pharmacy would have them?" Jill asked.

Rebecca nodded. "They're quite common. But like I said, there's only a slight chance antibiotics would work. It depends on how bad the infection is," she said.

Barry stood up from his seat across the shop and walked over. He stood next to Jill and put a hand over her shoulder. "Go call Chris, I'll keep an eye on her," he said.

Jill smiled and got up, walking towards the back as Barry took her seat. She dialled Chris' number, and waited anxiously.

"What's wrong!?" Chris said into the phone.

"N...nothing, Chris, calm down. Where are you guys?" Jill asked.

Chris paused before replying. "Not far, we found a gun shop but someone had the same idea as us; most of the shit there was gone. We got a shotgun, a couple boxes of shells, and some more handgun rounds. That's it, unfortunately. How's Claire?" he asked.

Jill had been anticipating the question, but wasn't sure what to say. "Well, to be honest she's not doing so well. Rebecca said she'll need antibiotics, if you can find a pharmacy and get some," she said.

"Yeah sure, we just passed one so it's not a problem. I think I'll need her to tell me what kind, though," Chris said, and Jill could hear his tone sounded slightly relieved.

"Chris...she also said there was a chance those wouldn't work..." she said. He went quiet, and she felt like her heart could break.

"It'll work, Jill. She's tougher than she looks, and it's just some stupid fever," he said.

Jill sighed, unsure if he was trying to convince her, or himself. "From the way Rebecca was talking, I think we'll need to find a way out of the city and get to a hospital somewhere," she said.

"Put Rebecca on, I want to know what I'm looking for," Chris said, completely ignoring what she was trying to say. Jill sighed and brought the phone to Rebecca, noticing that Claire was awake again. She handed the phone over, and headed back to the sofa.

Barry had his hand over Claire's forehead, and was smiling. Jill looked down, forcing a smile on her own face. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

To her surprise, Claire looked over with a faint smile. Her grey-blue eyes seemed lost in the paleness of her face, and dark circles under her eyes only added to her worries. "Cold," Claire whispered.

Jill sat on the table in front of the couch. "Sorry, we couldn't find a blanket," she said. "And we have no idea where the control for the heater is, either."

Claire took in a deep breath and looked aside to Rebecca, who was on the phone behind the counter. "Where's Chris?" she asked, still barely louder than a whisper.

"He went to get you some medicine, he'll be back soon," Jill said.

Claire blinked and sat up suddenly. "He went outside!?" she said. She blinked again, feeling a sudden rush of dizziness and nausea, and fell back down with her hand to her head. "He can't..." she said.

Barry put the jacket back over her. "Calm down, he's not far and he'll be back any minute now. You know your brother, he just got lost and Rebecca has to guide him back," he said with a grin.

"Yeah," Jill added, "poor boy can barely even find a pump at a gas station. Plus he's got like three guns with him, and Leon watching his back."

"Yep, that's the one! You got it! Now hurry back you two!" Rebecca said, and hung up the phone. Jill looked back towards the girl, and was relieved to see her smiling. "They're on their way back," she said.

Jill turned back to Claire. "Hear that? You have nothing to worry about," she said.

Claire shut her eyes, taking in another deep breath. "Virus," she said.

Jill blinked. "No, it's not. It's just a regular bacterial infection, which we're dealing with soon," she said.

Claire looked at her again. "But what if-"  
"Nope," Jill interrupted, "definitely bacterial. Man, you Redfields are so easily worried," she said.

Barry laughed, and even Claire slightly grinned, eyes shut again. "Can't help it," she whispered.

Jill turned and looked at Rebecca. "Is there something back there that she could have to warm up? Something easy on the stomach?" she asked.

Rebecca shook her head. "She's not even keeping the water down, coffee would make it worse," she said.

As if on cue, Chris and Leon appeared at the door, carrying the guns, a bag, and a big red puffy winter jacket. Jill got up and ran over to let them in, locking the door behind them. Chris put the guns on the counter and ran over to the sofa while Leon handed the pharmacy bag to Rebecca. She suddenly frowned, realizing Claire might not even be able to keep the meds down.

Barry walked over to check out the guns while Chris sat Claire up to put the jacket on her.

Jill walked over, confused. "She fell asleep again?" she asked.

Chris looked at her. "She was awake?" he asked.

Jill nodded. "She was talking with us not even five minutes ago. I guess it took a lot of energy," she said.

Rebecca walked over with the bottle of antibiotics. "Well you'll have to wake her again, she needs to take these right away," she said.

Chris zipped up the jacket and sighed, slightly shaking Claire's arm. "Hey, time to wake up now," he said.

Jill looked at Rebecca. "What if she can't keep them down?" she asked.

"That's what I'm worried about," said Rebecca.

Chris brought Claire down so her head was on the arm of the couch, and looked at them. "She's not waking up," he said.

"But she was just awake!" Jill said. Rebecca reached down and felt for Claire's pulse.

"It's still the same, so she's just out cold," she said.

"Is there another way to give her the meds?" Chris asked.

Rebecca nodded. "Could break it up and dissolve it in the water, but even so we'd need her to wake up," she said.

Chris lifted Claire again and sat on the sofa, then set her down so her head was on his lap. The coat was a bit big, and she seemed so lost in it. He took the glass of water, and held it up over her face. Very slowly, he tiled the glass back, letting small drops to fall on her nose. After about ten drops, Claire groaned and opened her eyes slowly. Chris grinned. "That always worked," he said. Jill couldn't hold back a laugh, and Rebecca simply smiled.

Claire blinked, entirely confused. "Where'd you come from?" she mumbled, her words slurring as though she were drunk.

Chris smiled down at her. "Went shopping with Leon," he said. Claire shut her eyes, but Chris pulled her so she'd be sitting up next to him. "No you don't, you have to stay awake for a bit longer," he said.

Claire's head leaned against his shoulder, and she took in a deep breath like before, eyes shut. "...m'kay," she said.

Rebecca handed two of the pills to Chris, set the bottle on the table and walked back to Leon and Barry. Jill sat on the lounge chair and watched Claire try to hold up the glass of water. She was weak, but somehow managed not to spill. She took one of the pills from Chris, tossed it in her mouth and drank a bit of water.

"Wait a bit before the other one, to make sure the first one stays down," Jill suggested.

Claire stared straight ahead, breathing deeply. She waited for about a minute before taking the second pill, and handed the glass back to Chris.

"Feeling sick?" he asked. Claire shook her head, leaning on his shoulder again. Chris looked at Jill and smiled. "See? Strong," he said.

Jill smiled back. "Never doubted you for a second," she said. "Oh, and by the way, thanks for leaving without saying anything."

Chris sighed. "Jill, please...we were in a hurry, and I really wanted to do something useful instead of sitting around and just waiting," he said.

Jill nodded. "I know, but you could've said something. Had us worried sick!" she said.

Chris grinned. "And by us, you mean...?"

"Well, Barry and I, and Rebecca of course!" she said quickly.

Chris looked over Jill's shoulder, grinning. "Sorry to worry you, Barry!" he called out.

Barry laughed and grinned back. "Wasn't worried, Redfield! Jill's the one who was ripping her own hair out!" he said.

Jill sighed. "Thanks, Barry," she said.

Barry looked to Rebecca and grinned. "I'm adding that to my best man's speech," he whispered.

Rebecca burst out laughing. "Someday, Barry...Someday," she said.

Leon put down the shotgun and walked over to the others, sitting on one of the lounge chairs. "So, she'll pull through?" he asked.

Chris glanced over to the boy. "Yeah, there's no infection strong enough to beat this kid," he said, looking down to his sister who was sound asleep on his shoulder.

"Glad to hear that," Leon said.

Jill looked over to Leon, grinning. "I bet you are," she said. "She's pretty lucky to have a friend who's so worried about her, huh Chris?" she asked.

Chris frowned. "Yeah, Leon, you're a great friend," he said, emphasizing on the word 'friend'. Jill glared at him, and he glared back.

Leon shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Hey, I'm sure she'd be just as worried if it were me," he said.

Chris laughed. "That she would," he said. He looked back down to Claire, and lifted her wounded arm. He gently pulled back the sleeve of the jacket, and looked at the gauze wrapped around the arm. "So, how do we know those were the right antibiotics?" he asked.

Rebecca looked up. "Well, those are used for most bacterial infections. If the infection is minor, it'll definitely help. She'll be weak for awhile, but the fever will clear out. I just hope it's not Osteomyelitis, or she'll need to be hospitalized with intravenous antibiotics, since it would be too late for a needle aspiration," she said. She looked up and saw all four of them stare at her in sheer confusion. She grinned.

"Sorry, I think I started talking to myself at some point there. Osteomyelitis is when the bacteria gets in through the wound and infects the bone," she said. "It would explain the fever, chill, and nausea. And the swelling on her arm," she added.

Jill looked back to Claire. "And if it's this Osteo thing, will those pills even help?" she asked.

"No, she'd need a direct IV for a few days," Rebecca said.

"Meaning we should head for a hospital?" Leon asked.

Rebecca shook her head. "Not necessarily, it might not even be the case. It fits the symptoms, but she hasn't said anything about massive pains in her arm. Also, she's been moving it around, which would've been impossible if the bone was infected. I think it's just something in the sewage water that accelerated the bacteria," she said.

Leon blinked. "How are you so smart?" he asked.

Rebecca grinned. "It's what I do," she said.

Barry laughed and looked outside. "It's starting to get dark out," he said.

Jill stood up. "Okay, I suggest we stay here for the night, get some rest, and figure out our next move," she said.

Barry nodded. "Sounds like the best plan, but we'll need to take turns watching the door," he said.

Chris took a sip of water. "I'm staying awake until I know everything's okay," he said.

Leon looked at him. "Yeah, but you'll be watching her, and if something happens at the door we'll need a second watcher, so I'll stay up too," he said.

Jill nodded. "I'm actually not tired, so I'll help watch," she said.

Barry laughed. "Alright, you kids stay up and party," he said. He walked over to a lounge sofa on the other side of the lobby. "Keep it quiet," he joked.

"Yes dad," Jill said. She looked over to Rebecca. "Why don't you try getting some sleep? Put that brain of yours to rest," she offered.

Rebecca grinned. "Think I might just do that, never know when it'll come in handy again," she said. "I think there's a staff room back there with a couch, so I'll be there. Wake me if anything happens," she said. She waved and headed to the back.

Jill sat back down and looked at Leon and Chris. "Well it's completely dead out there, so to speak...so we should be fine," she said.

Chris nodded. "In the morning, I'd suggest we get out of the City," he said. Jill and Leon nodded in agreement, and they sat around chatting. Jill fell asleep on the chair within the hour, and Chris took the opportunity to ask Leon all about his time in Raccoon City with his sister. It's not that he didn't trust him, but he'd really wanted to know just what had happened, and was worried that asking Claire would trigger really bad memories for her. Leon seemed like he could handle it.

"Well, it was my first day as a cop, believe it or not..." Leon started. He talked for most of the night.


	7. Getting Out

_Chris opened his eyes and looked around. It was still dark out, and everyone was asleep. He felt a movement on his shoulder and looked down, smiling to Claire. His smile faded when he saw her looking right at him, her eyes completely white and her face a slight tone of grey. "What's wrong?" he asked. She sat up straight, looked at him, and jumped forward. Chris yelled as she towered over him, biting into his shoulder. He tried pushing her off but she was somehow stronger, and ripped out chunks of his skin. He could feel the blood pouring down his chest. He called out to Jill, but she was sound asleep._

_Claire pulled away and looked at him, blood dripping from her mouth. "Chris," she said._

_Chris could barely focus on her face. She leaned forward, and Chris shut his eyes knowing he was a definite goner._

"Chris!" she said again, and he opened his eyes, yelling and pushing her away. She fell back on the couch, glaring. "What the hell!" she said.

Chris blinked and looked aside. Claire was alive, alert, and looked slightly annoyed. Her eyes were back to their normal bright blue, and she wasn't covered in blood. He realized it was only a dream, and sighed. He looked up and saw Jill watching him with concern. He smiled and looked back to Claire. "Sorry," he said. Claire sank into the sofa, lost in the big red coat. She still looked pale, but he could tell she was getting better. "How're you feeling?" he asked.

Claire smiled, which Chris was glad to see. "Tired, weak, hungry..." she said. The hungry part made Chris nervous.

"What about you?" Jill asked Chris.

He looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Jill grinned. "Both of you slept through the day. We tried waking you but it was impossible, so we figured we'd let you sleep," she said.

"But it's still bright out," Chris said, looking outside.

"You slept all day, and all night. Now, it's morning again and surprisingly Claire's the one who woke me up," she said.

Claire smiled again. "You were mumbling and making weird noises, it was kind of creepy," she said.

"What kind of noises?" Chris asked.

"Like you were in pain," Jill said. "Seriously, if I'd been in another room I would've sworn a zombie was eating you."

Chris grinned, glancing at Claire. "I was," he said. Claire shot him a look of confusion, which made him laugh. "It was the worst nightmare I'd ever had," he said.

Barry joined them with a grin, as always. "Well good morning, sunshine!" he said.

"Morning Barry," Chris said, "what's the plan today?"

Barry sat on one of the chairs, and shrugged. "Have a coffee, talk a little, go out for a walk maybe?" he said.

Chris couldn't help but smile. "Still making jokes I see. Where are the others?" he asked.

"They're in the back making a few sandwiches to take with us," he said. He grinned and glanced at Jill.

"Shut up, Barry," Jill warned, but smiled nonetheless.

Claire turned and let herself fall so the back of her head was resting on Chris' lap. She looked up at him and grinned before he could protest. He rolled his eyes and looked at Jill. "So, do we know how we're getting out of the city?" he asked.

Jill nodded. "We're staying in one big group and following Main Street until we reach the borders. We can either find a decent car, or walk with the chance that we'll find places to camp out during the night," she said. She looked at Barry, and he nodded. "Then, hoping the infection is only in New York, we find out what started this and stop it for good," she added.

Chris sighed. "No doubt Umbrella's behind it," she said.

Claire frowned. "Which means we'll be fighting giant monsters, right?" she asked.

Leon and Rebecca came out into the lobby, each carrying a small cooler-bag. "We're set," Rebecca said. She set her bag on the counter and looked around. "What did we miss?" she asked.

Barry got up and walked to the counter where the guns were, while Leon took his seat and looked at Claire. "Feeling better?" he asked.

"Much," said Claire, smiling. Leon smiled back, but shifted uncomfortably in his seat when Chris glared at him.

Jill shook her head and looked up to Rebecca. "You didn't miss much," she said, "when are we heading out?"

"As soon as we have everything ready," Rebecca said. "We have enough sandwiches to last us two days, but I still suggest finding somewhere to stay the night."

Jill nodded and looked over to Barry. "How are we on ammo?" she asked.

"We'll be fine for awhile, as long as we don't go out into the open and shoot every zombie we see. And if there's a crowd of them, well, we're screwed," he said.

"That's so reassuring," said Chris. He looked over to Jill. "Let's get everything ready to go," he said. Jill nodded and walked over to the counter where the guns were dispersed.

Chris got up and followed her, along with Barry. They checked the guns one by one to make sure they were all fully loaded, and started packing the extra shells and rounds into a small duffle bag Barry had found in the back.

Rebecca sat on the table by the couch and looked at Claire. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

Claire sighed. "I'll be fine, trust me," she said.

"Just make sure to have a bottle of water with you at all times, so you don't dehydrate. I'll have the antibiotics on me, so let me know the second you feel dizzy or nauseated," said Rebecca.

"I'll keep an eye on her," Leon said, smiling to Claire. She smiled back, and slipped the coat off, tossing it to him.

"I don't need a babysitter," she said with a grin.

Rebecca laughed and stood, slipping the bottle of antibiotics into the pouch she had at her hip. "Maybe not, but take it easy anyways," she said. She turned back to the others, smiling. "Are we ready?" she asked.

Chris was holding a shotgun, smiling. "Yep!" he said.

Jill stood next to him, holding the ammo back and rolling her eyes. Barry was at the door, looking out with his magnum. "Seems clear," he said. "I'm surprised none of them tried to get in! I mean, we were here for two days!" he said.

"They're stupid," Chris said, "they probably walked by and didn't even notice us."

"Or maybe they're evolving really fast and are planning something," Jill said, grinning.

Chris shook his head. "I highly doubt that, I mean they've always been slow and wouldn't even know we were there if we were calling out to them, and I just realized you were joking..." he trailed off, smiling.

Jill smiled as well, and looked to Leon and Claire. "We have enough guns for everyone, but are you guys okay with just a handgun?" she asked. They both nodded, and she took in a deep breath before turning back to Chris. "Alright, I think we're ready!" she said.

Claire stood up and walked over to the others, along with Leon and Rebecca. They each took a handgun and a couple of boxes with extra ammo, and stood ready at the door. Barry looked around, and once he was certain that everyone was ready, he unlocked the door and pushed it open.

* * *

They walked for over an hour before Barry finally decided it was time for a break. They stopped at an intersection, next to a street-car that was completely wrecked, as though it had exploded days ago. Claire and Leon sat on a curb, sharing a bottle of water, while Chris talked about their escape plan with the others.

Leon put the cap back over the bottle and tossed it to Claire's foot. "Still feeling okay?" he asked.

"As fine as I was five minutes ago," she said.

"Sorry, I was just really worried yesterday," he said. "I mean, in Raccoon you were always the toughest one, not even letting a huge cut on your leg slow you down...so it was really scary to see you sick like that," he said.

Claire laughed. "I don't think I was tough in Raccoon," she said, "maybe I was just really good at hiding the fear."

"Fear is good; it shows you're human," Leon said, smiling.

"That sounds like something Oprah would say," Claire said.

Leon grinned and gently kicked her foot with his. "If she ever does, you'll know where she got it from," he said. He blinked, feeling a slight rumble from the ground beneath him, but as soon as it started, it stopped again. He sighed. "Speaking of fear...I think I'll be paranoid for the rest of my life now," he said.

Claire blinked. "You felt it too?" she asked, standing.

"Well, yeah but I don't think it was anything to worry about," Leon said as he also stood.

Rebecca walked over to them, smiling. "Are you guys ready to go? Barry and Chris are worried we might attract attention if we stay here too long, and Jill says we should do what the guys tell us or they might start crying," she said, grinning.

"We're ready, I guess," Leon said, glancing over to Claire. She still looked worried, so he looked back to Rebecca. "Listen, we both just felt the ground...shake, or something," he said.

"Shake? What do you mean by shake?" Rebecca asked.

"Well, kind of like what ice does when you walk on it and it starts to crack," he said, looking at Claire again. She nodded in agreement. Rebecca looked down, slightly worried.

"Hey, you guys ready to go?" Chris yelled out, sounding impatient.

"We might miss the bus if we don't hurry!" Jill yelled, grinning. Barry laughed too, picking up his gun and holstering it.

Rebecca turned to face them. "Leon and Claire said they felt the ground shake over here," she said.

"What?" he asked, the short distance between them making it hard to hear properly.

Rebecca looked at the ground again, noticing a small fissure. She followed it where it connected with several others, then glanced up at the destroyed street-car. Leon followed her gaze and blinked. "What is it?" he asked.

She nodded to the street-car. "I think the explosion might've damaged the pavement, which doesn't look very solid. How old would you say this road is?" she asked.

Claire almost laughed. "This is New York...it's all pretty freaking old," she said.

"That's what I'm worried about," Rebecca said.

"What's going on over there? Come on!" Jill said.

"I think the road's breaking up!" Rebecca yelled out. "We'll have to be careful not to trip or..." She yelled as the ground beneath her completely cracked and she fell through, as though she were falling through broken ice that topped a lake or river. Leon and Claire fell through as well, along with the street-car and everything that had been on the street in their small area.

Chris, Jill, and Barry ran to the edge of the hole that took the place where everything else had been. They looked down, each searching through the darkness within the hole. Jill looked at Chris, who was shaking and almost in tears. She looked back down. "Subway tracks," she suggested.

"Those go pretty far down," Barry said.

"Hello? Guys, come on answer me!" Chris yelled into the hole.

Barry pulled out a flashlight and pointed it into the hole, searching around. "I can't see anything through the dust!" he said.

Chris took the flashlight from him and leaned down. "HELLO? Claire, Leon, Rebecca! Hey, answer me!" he yelled.

Jill took in a deep, nervous breath. She made sure to stay close to Chris, knowing that any second he'd probably jump into the hole to go after them, especially since Claire was down there. "We have to find a subway entrance that hasn't been blocked off," she said.

"Or rope," Barry said, standing.

Chris kept yelling into the hole, ignoring the other two. His thoughts raced as different scenarios formed in his mind, and he hated every one of them.


	8. Trapped

****This chapter is longer, but only because I had three ideas and tried to fit them all in one chapter . I even added a part that I hadn't planned on, just because I was in the moment!**

**And I'll admit, I had help for this one (Thanks, Jill! ^_^) Also, to anyone who's starting to get impatient, I'm getting close to the end of this Fic so don't get mad at me please ^_^; ****

Leon coughed, waving his hand in front of his face to try clearing some of the dust away. He looked up at the light coming from the hole, still a bit confused. He sat up, looking around and rubbing his head.

"Hello?" Chris called out from above. "Someone answer me!"

Leon stood up, holding his back. "I'm here!" Leon yelled out. He kept waving his hand around, hoping the dust clouds would just clear up.

"Leon! Thank God, how are Claire and Rebecca?" Chris called out.

Leon blinked and looked around. He was standing on top of a subway train, and could barely make anything out amongst the darkness and the dust. "I can't see them!" he said.

"Head's up!" yelled Jill. Leon looked up and saw a lit flashlight falling towards him. He caught it so it wouldn't break, and looked around with it. His heart began to beat faster, and his thoughts were wild. "Guys?" he called out, coughing from the dust.

Leon heard a faint cough coming from below. He peeked over the side of the subway train and pointed the flashlight down. To his relief, Claire was sitting up and coughing. Once the light hit her eyes, she brought a hand up to shield from it. "What happened? And get that light out of my eyes!" she said.

"Sorry," Leon said, moving the light to the side. "Where's Rebecca?" he asked, looking around.

Claire stood up and dusted herself off. "I don't know, she should be around here I guess?" she said.

"I can't see her," Leon said, looking around. He walked over to the other side of the train and checked over the edge. Rebecca was there, not moving, covered in dust. He could tell she was breathing, and was relieved to see her in one piece. "Hey Rebecca, come on, wake up!" he called out.

Rebecca slightly stirred, opening her eyes but closing them as soon as the light hit her. Leon sighed in relief. "Are you okay down there?" he asked. Rebecca groaned and sat up, her hand automatically reaching for her foot. Leon could see she was wincing, as though in pain. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"My ankle," said Rebecca, "I think it's twisted."

Claire appeared into the beam of the flashlight. She'd walked through the train using the doors, and was now by Rebecca's side. "Can you walk?" she asked.

Rebecca shook her head. "If it's twisted or sprained, applying pressure on it can only make it worse. I'll need to find ice, a splint or pressure bandage, and keep the weight off," she said.

Claire looked up at Leon, holding her arm up again. "Will you get that light out of here? Last thing we need is to be blind!" she said.

"Leon! What's going on down there?" Chris called out, impatiently.

Leon pointed the light up. "I found them, they're fine! Rebecca hurt her foot though!" he said.

"We can come down there!" said Chris.

"I don't think that's a smart idea, Chris! We'll find a way back up, don't worry! Use the cell phone if you need us, but otherwise we'll meet you at the Madison Square Garden, it's really close to this station!" said Leon.

Chris sighed, but Jill took over. "Alright, we'll meet you there! Make sure to be on full alert and take it easy down there! We'll see you guys soon!" she said.

Leon nodded and looked back down to the other two. "Well, it's just the three of us from now on," he said. He sat on the side of the train and let himself slide down, landing on the tracks next to Claire and Rebecca.

Claire frowned. "Now what?" she asked. "All of the subway entrances I've seen today were blocked off by cars, bikes, and random crap. Even if we find a way out, how can we get through?"

Leon shrugged, kneeling down next to Rebecca. "Any ideas?" he asked.

Rebecca nodded. "Head down the tracks until we find a way out," she said.

Claire took the flashlight from Leon and looked down the track. "We should do it fast, too...I can barely see anything," she said. She got up and pointed the flashlight on the subway train. She walked over to it and looked through the window, disgusted. There were charred bodies and blood splatters all over, which indicated that the whole thing had probably crashed and exploded. She turned back to the others and sighed. "I really don't want to stay here longer than we have to," she said.

Leon helped Rebecca up, and caught her by the waist when she nearly fell back down. "Oops," she said, "I'm sorry."

Leon shook his head and kneeled forward. "You can't walk on that foot, so hop on. We'll be able to go much faster this way," he said.

Rebecca glanced over to Claire, who had already started down the subway tracks, shaking her head. She looked back down to Leon, and sighed. "Okay, but if I get too heavy let me down right away," she said.

Leon laughed as Rebecca got on. He stood up straight and started after Claire. "Too heavy, huh?" he said. "You barely weigh anything, so don't worry about it!"

"If you say so," Rebecca said, grinning. She knew she was light, and Leon looked like he could support anything, but she still felt like a burden, and hoped this wasn't giving Claire any ideas. Neither had said anything, but she could tell there was something between her and Leon, and she'd hate to get in the middle of it. She sighed and looked aside to the train as they walked by. "If the train crashed and exploded, it's likely that someone was infected on it...so we'll have to be really careful. Do either of you have a gun?" she asked.

Claire turned and looked to the holster she'd put on back at the coffee shop. She was relieved to see her gun there, and pulled it out. "I'm good," she said.

Leon looked down and sighed. "Lost mine," he said. "How much ammo do you have?" he asked Claire.

"No clue," she said. She turned and kept going down the tracks, pointing the flashlight side to side, making sure they were alone.

Leon sighed. "Claire, slow down will you?" he asked, stepping over a body that had been thrown from the window. It was burned, and didn't seem like it would be getting up.

"No, Leon, you speed up. Something might be around here, and I don't want to stick around to find out what it could be," she said.

"But you're the only one with a gun," Rebecca said.

Claire turned, walking backwards while looking at Rebecca. "It's not my fault I had it secured properly. You guys are the cops, maybe you should've thought about that," she said.

"Claire, what's the matter?" Leon asked. "Are you claustrophobic?"

She turned again, walking around one of the many broken lights hanging from the tunnel ceiling. "No, I'm not. I just want to get out of here," she said.

"It could be claustrophobia," Rebecca said. "Do you have that water bottle?"

Claire stopped and turned back to them, this time flashing the light into their eyes. "I'm not claustrophobic, okay? And no, I don't have that water bottle anymore, it fell when I did," she said. She turned and kept walking.

"Alright, I'm sorry," said Rebecca, sighing.

Leon blinked and looked ahead. "Claire, seriously...I don't know what your problem is, but can you please slow down? I'm completely in the dark and keep tripping over things, and people," he said.

Claire sighed and turned again, pointing the light to the ground between them. "Sorry," she said.

"It's fine, just...calm down, okay?" he said, walking over to her.

"Quiet!" Rebecca said, and Leon froze. He looked around, as did Claire, hearing a small scratching, almost static-like noise.

"Rat?" asked Claire, in a bare whisper.

"Maybe," Rebecca said, looking around.

Claire pulled the gun up, aiming it with the flashlight. She looked around, but couldn't see a thing. The noise didn't sound like it was moving, but it echoed through the tunnel so it was impossible to tell where it was actually coming from.

Just as she'd guessed, two rats ran into the path of the light, and then ran off to the train. Claire jumped, but felt relieved that it wasn't something infected. She put the gun back in the holster and turned to the others. "I can see light up ahead, probable from one of the platforms," she said.

"That's good, maybe nothing crashed in that area, meaning there could be a way out," Rebecca said.

Leon followed Claire towards the light. When they finally reached it, Claire walked to the side and climbed up on the platform. She turned and helped Rebecca up while Leon climbed after her. They stood up, Rebecca leaning on a pillar, and looked around. "Well it's pretty messed up here, too,' Leon said.

"Yeah, but the subways were never in perfect condition, so it's hard to tell," Claire said. She looked up at the ceiling, sighing. "Some of the lights are working, but others look like they fell out or just popped," she said.

"Well it helps a little against the darkness, but it's not a hundred percent safe up here either. We'll need to find a way out and fast," Rebecca said.

"I'll check out the exit, you guys stay here and if anything approaches, yell as loud as you can or fire the gun," he said.

Claire took a step forward, but Rebecca was faster. "Be careful," she said.

Leon looked back and smiled at them both. "Always," he said, heading up the steps to the exit. He saw it was blocked, and sighed. "Figures," he said. He headed back down and shook his head.

"Well, shit," Claire said.  
Leon nodded in agreement and walked over to her. "We'll have to keep going down the tracks and see how the next platform looks," he said.

The ceiling above them rumbled and they all looked up at the light when it started flickering. "What the hell's that?" asked Claire.

"Another explosion above-ground, maybe?" suggested Rebecca.

The part of the ceiling where the light was broke and fell towards Leon and Claire. They both jumped back, barely avoiding it, as the pavement broke against the platform tiles. Pieces of rocks flew at them, and Leon turned to avoid getting any in his face. Claire brought her arm up to shield herself, coughing at the forming dust. She felt a sting on her arm, and felt herself shaking. A few seconds later, everything around her was shaking, and she could barely see. She could hear Leon's voice, but it was muffled. She looked up at the ceiling, and it soon turned into the floor. She was a bit confused, feeling very hot and then suddenly freezing cold. Leon's voice seemed to get further away, and was soon replaced by a high-pitched ringing in her ears. A few seconds later, she saw, heard, and felt nothing.

* * *

"I don't like this," Chris said.

Jill sighed. "I know, but we have no idea where they could be at this point," she said.

They sat just outside the main entrance of Madison Square Garden, waiting. They'd been there for about an hour, and Chris had tried calling Claire's cell phone nearly a hundred times. At the same time, Jill had been trying to reach Leon's phone, and Barry did the same for Rebecca's. None of them, however, got a response.

"The subway cuts off receptions all the time, so we can't jump to any conclusions," Barry said. He sat next to Chris, patting him on the back. "They probably had to walk past a few stations before finding a way out, don't worry," he said.

"I can't NOT worry, Barry...They're stuck underground, Leon said that Rebecca hurt her foot, and Claire's still not at a hundred percent...Oh man, what if she gets feverish again?" he said, taking in a deep breath.

"She's got Rebecca, and the antibiotics. She'll be fine," Jill said.

"But still..." Chris looked out in the distance, hoping to see them turn the corner, but saw nothing. "We haven't seen many zombies up here, so what if they're all down there?" he said.

"Don't even think about that," Jill said.

"Yeah, I think the zombies are all stuck inside their homes," Barry said.

Chris sighed, and looked to Jill. "You were right about Claire before...so, are you as sure about this?" he asked.

Jill nodded, smiling. "Damn right I am! They're smart kids, Chris, they'll be up here in no time," she said.

Chris nodded. "Alright, I'll take your word for it then," he said.

"Want a sandwich? It might take your mind off it," she offered. She leaned forward and looked at Barry. "And not a word from you," she said.

Barry grinned. "I wouldn't dream of it," he said.

"Liar," Jill said, laughing. She pulled out the bag with the sandwiches, and they each took one. Chris looked out in the distance again as he ate, sighing. _Come on, guys..._ he thought.

* * *

Leon jumped over the fallen ceiling pieces, carefully avoiding the live wire hanging from the ceiling. He had turned to avoid the ceiling pieces, but had looked up in time to see the wire hit Claire on the arm, and she'd dropped to the ground instantly.

He slid to her side and instantly reached to her neck for a pulse.

Rebecca hopped over to them, careful to keep the weight off her ankle. "Is she okay?" she asked.

Leon sighed. "She's alive, just unconscious," he said. "This really isn't her day."

Rebecca kneeled down next to Claire, pointing the flashlight on her. "It hit her left arm, so it's not surprising that she passed out. The current went right by her heart," she said.

"She'll be okay though, right?" Leon asked, almost panicking.

"She'll be fine, just a little confused and maybe shaky. The shock didn't last long enough to do any damage, and if it had been a bigger current she wouldn't even have a pulse right now. Don't worry, she'll be up soon," she said.

Leon sighed in relief. "I'm so glad you're here," he said. "I wouldn't know what to do."

Rebecca smiled. "To be honest, I'd rather be somewhere else...far from all this crap," she said.

"Oh, I know what you mean," he said, "but it seems to follow us no matter where we go." He looked down when Claire stirred a bit, and sighed again. "After Raccoon, I was hoping it would all be over. That we'd put it all behind us, and go on with our regular lives, but I knew that would never happen," he said.

Rebecca looked down to Claire and couldn't help but smile again. "By the way, when do you plan on telling her?" she asked.

Leon looked up, shocked. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Oh come on, you can't tell me I'm the only one who's noticed. There's an obvious attraction, I could tell when you gave me that piggy-back," she said.

Leon shook his head, doing his best to hide a smile. "You're crazy," he said.

"Am I? Am I really? Leon, don't hide it anymore. Your feelings are returned, I can promise you that, so it's your turn to admit how you really feel," Rebecca said.

"You really think telling Claire all this would do any good?" he asked.

Rebecca nodded. "She needs to know," she said.

"She might get upset," said Leon. "And I really don't want to upset her."

Now, Rebecca was laughing. "You're afraid of her!" she said. "That's so cute!"

Leon grinned. "Shut up, I am not!" he protested.

"Whatever, Leon," Rebecca grinned. "If you don't tell her, I will," she joked.

"You'd better not," he said.

Leon was distracted when Claire stirred again, opening her eyes. She looked up at him, and he smiled. "Hey, welcome back," he said. "Are you okay?"

Claire blinked and looked at Rebecca. They were both leaning over her, their heads nearly connecting. She'd barely heard the tail-end of their conversation, but understood everything. "I'm fine," she said.

"You got shocked by a loose wire from the light," Rebecca said.

Claire sat up slowly, feeling a bit jumpy. Her hands were shaking, but she wasn't sure if that was from the cold, the shock, or the massive wave of jealousy she felt after hearing their conversation. She shook her head, putting it aside.

"Are you feeling pain in your chest?" Rebecca asked.

"No," Claire said, glancing at Leon. He smiled, and she looked away instantly.

"Are you cold?" Rebecca asked.

Claire sighed. "No," she lied. "Let's get going," she said, standing up and fighting a wave of dizziness.

Leon stood next to her. "Take it easy," he said. "We need to make sure you're okay before going anywhere, or we-"

"How was the exit again?" Claire asked, cutting him off.

Leon blinked. "Well, it was blocked," he said.

"By what?" she asked.

"A car," said Leon.

"So we can just move it out of the way, right?" she said.

Rebecca got up, hopping on one foot. "Calm down," she said.

Claire turned to her, nearly glaring. "I am calm."

Rebecca shook her head. "Your breathing accelerated and your hands are shaking, and I don't think it's from the shock," she said. "Maybe you should sit down."

Claire shook her head, looking down. "Or maybe I should leave you two alone, if you'd like?" she offered.

"Why the hell would we want that?" Leon asked. "What's bothering you all of a sudden?"

She turned and started towards the stairs. "Nothing," she said. "Can we move the car or what?"

Leon sighed. "We probably could, but we'd have to do it fast before it alerts any zombies," he said. He looked at Rebecca. "Need a hand?" he asked.

She shook her head, limping towards the stairs. He stayed close behind her, confused. _What the hell just happened?_ He thought, sighing.

****Random note; I had the conversation between Rebecca and Leon planned for days, and finally got it down! XD. It was meant to be misunderstood by Claire, thinking they're talking about each other...Poor Leon!**

**As for the light thing, I just needed something to happen to knock Claire out, in order to write-out said misunderstanding, and send her in a blind jealousy-rage, because let's face it...Claire's just so cute when she's pissed off! ^_^ Next chapter's on its way!****


	9. Put 'Em Up

They hadn't been able to move the car, especially since Leon was the only one who could move anything. Rebecca wasn't able to put much pressure on her ankle, and Claire still seemed very weak, tired, and pissed off about something. After wasting twenty minutes trying to push the car, they had finally realized that they could open both doors and go right through it.

They now walked down the street, heading for Madison Square Garden. Not a word had been spoken since they'd gotten out, which made Rebecca feel very uncomfortable. Leon was carrying her in a piggy-back again, since Claire was walking ahead and not waiting, which made it impossible for her to keep up with her twisted ankle. She could tell this bothered Claire, but wasn't sure why she was getting so mad.

"Whoa, stop!" she yelled out.

Claire froze in place and stared ahead at a crowd of zombies standing in the middle of the road. She shook her head, knowing if Rebecca hadn't said stop, she probably would've kept going without even noticing. _Pay attention, idiot,_ she thought to herself. She brought the gun up, but Leon stopped her by putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't, there has to be a way around them. Besides, the gunshots-"

Claire fired a round right between a zombie's eyes. The others all turned their heads towards them, and several more stepped out from alleys and shops.

"...might attract more," Leon finished, sighing.

Claire blinked and looked around at all the zombies, then back to Leon. "I'm sorry," she said.

Rebecca hopped over and stood next to them, looking around. "I think we need a plan, and fast," she said.

"Here's a plan," Leon said, turning to Claire. "Stop being careless!" he said.

Claire glared at him, turned, and started firing rounds into the zombies' heads. Once the gun emptied, she pulled out another magazine from her belt and reloaded as fast as she could, and kept firing.

It seemed like every zombie she killed multiplied into three, and in no time they were surrounded.

"Great...NOW what?" asked Leon.

Claire sighed, lowering the empty handgun. "I'm out," she said.

The sound of a shotgun snapped them all back to the moment. They looked over to see Chris and Barry, shooting the zombies one by one. When Barry reloaded, Jill took over with her own gun, and Barry did the same for Chris. In no time, all of the zombies in the area were dead. Chris sighed in relief, and they walked over to the other three. "So glad you guys made it!" he said.

Claire turned and glared at Leon again. "What did you mean by careless? Try warning me a little faster next time!" she said.

"Why the hell would I need to warn you? You've been through this shit so many times already, I figured you'd be smart enough to hold fire when there aren't more than three or four!" said Leon.

"Are you calling me stupid?" she asked.

Barry ran to Rebecca and helped her sit on a curb while Jill and Chris ran to the other two. "What the hell's going on?" Chris asked, standing next to Claire.

Leon shrugged. "Ask your sister, she's been pissed off at us since the fall," he said.

Chris blinked and looked to Claire. "Why? What happened?" he asked.

"Nothing happened," she said.

"So why are you pissed off?" Jill asked.

Chris looked back up to Leon. "What did you do?" he asked.

"What? I didn't do anything! She passed out, and when she woke up again she was mad at me and Rebecca!" he said.

Chris looked back to Claire. "You passed out? What happened?" he asked.

Claire shook her head and stormed off down the road. Chris and Leon both stepped forward to follow her, but Jill held her hands up to stop them. "I'll go," she said, turning to follow Claire.

Leon sighed. "I really don't know what her problem is," he said.

Chris grabbed Leon by the shirt-collar and pulled him close. "Maybe you're the problem, Kennedy! I swear, if you did something to hurt Claire and I find out about it, you're a dead man!" he said.

"Chris, he didn't do anything!" Rebecca said. "I think I know what's going on."

He turned and looked at her, waiting. She took in a deep breath, and smiled faintly. "I could barely walk, so Leon offered a piggy-back. From that point on, Claire started acting weird...almost like she was jealous," she said.

Barry laughed. "That makes sense; she's obviously into the boy," he said.

Chris glared at Barry. "It's not funny," he said, letting Leon go.

Barry grinned. "Oh, come on, you know I'm right! Besides, she wouldn't have anything to be jealous about, right?" he asked, grinning at Rebecca.

"That's what I thought," she said.

Leon looked towards the direction in which Claire and Jill had gone. "Maybe I should go talk to her," he said, sighing.

"Oh no you don't" warned Chris. "Until I know exactly what happened between you two in Raccoon City, you're keeping your distance just like I said."

"Look, I know you don't like me, but you only have yourself to blame if anything had happened in Raccoon. If you'd taken a freaking minute and called your sister to let her KNOW you wouldn't be in town, well, maybe she wouldn't of gone out there in the middle of the night and gotten involved in any of this," said Leon.

Chris walked up to him and stood right in front of Leon. "That's none of your business," he warned.

Leon stood his ground. "It became my business the second I ran into her," he said. "I mean, hey, SOMEONE had to keep an eye on her, right?"

Chris stared at him for only a second more, before raising his fist into Leon's face, knocking him to the ground.

"Chris, we don't have time for this crap!" Barry yelled out.

Leon quickly got back up to his feet and ran at Chris, tackling him. He didn't knock him down, but within a minute they were sending punches, kicks, and occasional head-butts at one another.

* * *

It didn't take more than a few minutes for Jill to understand why Claire had been so upset. She'd offered to talk to Leon about it, but Claire insisted that she would do it herself.

They were walking back to the group now, Claire dragging behind Jill. It was fortunate that they hadn't seen any zombies along the way, mostly because neither of them had a gun.

Claire looked up at the sound of yelling, and looked at Jill, who nodded and broke into a run. Claire followed, and once they turned the corner they saw Leon pinned down by Chris, blocking several punches.

"Chris!" yelled Jill, running forward. She nearly tackled him off Leon, pushing him away as he tried going back towards the boy.

Claire ran to Leon's side and crouched down, concerned. "What the hell happened?" she asked.

Rebecca had pretty much been letting them fight it out, while Barry had gone inside to clear out an area for them to camp in, since night was coming soon.

"Leon provoked Chris," said Rebecca.

Jill looked at her, then to Barry who was walking back with a shotgun over his shoulder. "And you didn't think it'd be smart to stop them?" she asked.

Barry shrugged. "Seemed like a better idea to just let them fight it out," he said with a half-smile.

Jill shook her head and looked over to Leon as he stood up. "What did you do to make him so pissed off?" she asked. Chris went to speak, but Jill smacked her hand over his mouth. "You'll get your turn," she said.

Leon rubbed a forming-bruise on his arm. "I'm just sick of seeing him try to be so controlling," he said.

Claire stood up as well, taking a step away from him. "So you guys started fighting because you think Chris is being 'controlling'? That's stupid," she said.

"He hit me first," Leon said.

"Why?" asked Jill.

"Because he won't...he just won't let anyone make their own decisions," he said, looking away.

Jill looked at Chris and sighed. "I thought I told you, whatever happens let it," she said.

"If something bad happened, she'd only be getting hurt again and I won't let it," said Chris, glancing over to Claire. "Not again."

Claire raised a brow, looking at Chris. "I'm missing something, aren't I..." she said.

Leon grabbed her arm. "Hey, can I talk to you in private for a second? It's about earlier," he said.

She rolled her eyes and looked over to Jill, who nodded, and turned back to Leon. "Fine," she said, following him into the building. "But I need to talk to you as well."

Jill had to hold Chris' arm to stop him from following them. "They really need to talk alone, Chris," she said. "Barry secured the area, and Leon's armed anyways so they'll be fine."

Chris sighed. "I don't like this," he said.

Jill grinned, looking to the building. "Too bad," she said. She looked back to Barry and Rebecca and smiled. "I guess we can camp out here for awhile, right? If anything shows up, it'll be from only one direction and we'll be able to deal with it," she said.

Barry nodded, but Rebecca looked uncertain. "How long do you think they'll be in there?" she asked.

Jill shrugged. "Claire seemed really mad, and I know she'll have a lot of things to talk to him about," she said. "She told me what she heard."

"I feel kind of bad," Rebecca said, looking down. "I replayed the conversation Leon and I had in my head, and realized that from a third point-of-view it would sound entirely different...but he was talking about her!" she said.

Chris looked at Jill, then Rebecca. "What conversation? What exactly happened down there?" he asked.

Barry grinned and walked over to Chris, patting him on the back. "I'm with you on this, buddy. I'd like to know what kind of drama we missed out on THIS time!" he said.

They sat down and Rebecca pulled out the sandwich bag, joining them. Jill took one final look around as Rebecca started the story from the point where they fell through the street...

****Well then...I know I say this a lot, but this time I'm sure of it; I am going to attempt something I've never done, which will most likely piss off a lot of people, but I don't care anymore!**

**-Ron was writing a crack-story one night, and I thought it was awesome so I asked him for an idea I could use to write one of my own. He said "A pool party", so I started off with that idea, but one thing led to another, and I dragged on and on, and in case you've never noticed I tend to do that, and eventually the story brought me to where I am now; a fucking writer's block!**

**-I'm running out of ideas, and the usual stuff I do has already happened in here! (Zombies, constant Claire-abuse, making fun of Chris, sandwich jokes...) Seriously, I'm out!**

**So then, the next chapter will present you something I've never had happened before, and if it angers any of you I'm sorry! Okay! I'M SORRY! (But really, I'm not sorry **** )****


	10. Shattered Images

****Alright kids, I have to tell you this nice little story...I've had this chapter written for over 3 months, but apparently I forgot to post it :3 I was re-reading the story so I could continue it without dropping any details, and got pissed off since the next part wasn't there!**

**And I'm sorry, I really am! (not that much, though).**

**So here it is, the big change I know will piss people off ^_^ And for some reason that makes me happy! Yay, anger! Enjoy! (or don't) **** ****

Leon walked out of the building, stretching his back. He looked up at the stars in the sky and sighed. _Wow, time sure flew by,_ he thought. He smiled and walked towards the others.

Rebecca, Barry, and Chris had fallen asleep. Jill seemed to be the only one keeping watch, sitting a bit further from the other three. He walked over and sat down next to her. "You got guard-duty, huh?" he asked.

Jill looked over to him, then back to the others. "Apparently," she said. She looked back to him. "That was one long argument, it's already been..." she checked her watch, and gasped, "three hours! Jesus, it must've been one hell of a talk!" she said.

Leon shrugged, looking away. "Didn't realize how fast the time passed," he said.

"So how did it go? Is everything good between you two?" Jill asked, hoping she wasn't too intrusive.

He smiled. "You could say that," he said.

Jill raised a brow, turning to face him. "I guess she didn't yell all that much, since you seem to be quite the smiley guy. Where is Claire, anyways? Did you...kill her?" she asked, grinning.

"I hope not," he said. "She wanted to come back outside but looked exhausted. She used my jacket as a blanket, and the next thing I knew, she was asleep."

"She was exhausted from talking? I know she's been sick and through a lot, but I highly doubt simply talking would make her that tired..." Jill said, eyeing him suspiciously.

Leon looked away, unable to hold back a smile. "Believe it or not, I don't care. Point being is she's asleep, and it's getting cold so maybe we should wake the others and move the party inside? You know, to have everyone together?" he suggested. He noticed Jill was staring at his neck, and it worried him. "What?" he asked.

"Your shirt's inside out..." she said.

Leon looked down and grinned, seeing the small tag hanging out the front of his t-shirt. He quickly pulled his shirt off, flipped it, and sighed. "Yeah, I'm a lazy dresser, and I guess nobody noticed since I had a jacket on," he said.

"You're hiding something, aren't you?" asked Jill suspiciously. She glanced over to the building. "And what is that smell?" she asked.

Leon shifted on the step, still grinning. "I don't smell anything," he said, "I think I'll go back inside and bring Claire another jacket, in case she's cold."

Jill stood up quickly, looking down at him. "No..." she said.

"What?" Leon asked, trying his best not to smile.

"You didn't..." she said.

"Seriously, I'll need full sentences here," he said, smiling.

Jill crouched down to look at him eye-to-eye. "Leon, how long did you two talk for?" she asked.

"Three hours," he said.

"Bullshit! Tell me the truth!" she said, sitting down again. "Did you two..."

Leon took in a deep breath, and smiled again. "Talk for hours? Yes, we did," he said.

Jill shook her head and stood up once again. "Fine, let me go wake Chris up and I'll tell him everything to see what he thinks," she said. She took a step away, but Leon grabbed her ankle.

"Please don't!" he said. She looked down at him and folded her arms, grinning. "You caught me, okay?"

"See, that wasn't so hard? You can tell me these things you know," she said, sitting down again.

"Sorry, just please don't tell Chris," he said, looking down. "He'd kill me if he found out I slept with his sister," he said.

Jill stared at him blankly, unable to form words. He noticed, and blinked in confusion. "What?" he asked.

"You...slept together? I thought you guys just made out or something! Holy shit!" she said, once again standing up.

Leon smacked his hand over his face. "...I'm so dead," he said.

"Why? What happened?" Chris appeared next to them, causing them both to jump.

Leon quickly stood up and took a step back. "...Tired; I'm so dead tired," he said, faking a yawn. "Think I'll call it a night," he glanced at Jill, and nearly ran towards the rest of the group.

Chris looked back to Jill. "Man, Leon's so jumpy tonight. I hope Claire didn't yell at him too much in there," he said. "What's wrong? You look like you're in shock."

"Just a chill; it'll pass. I was just thinking of a plot for a great horror novel," she said.

"What is it?" he asked.

Jill looked at him and smiled. "You'll see," she said. She got up and walked over to where the others were, leaving the confused Chris with guard-duty.

* * *

Claire felt someone shaking her, and mumbled "go away."

"Come on, rise and shine!"

She opened her eyes and saw Barry crouched next to her, shaking her shoulder. "I said go away," she said, laughing and rolling to her side with her back facing him.

"Persistent," said Barry, "but I'm afraid it's morning, which means time to go."

"Too tired," she said.

Barry sighed, picking up her t-shirt and jacket off the floor and throwing them over her head. "Get dressed now, or we're leaving you here."

Claire's eyes opened wide. Get dressed? As in, put on clothes? Was she NOT wearing her clothes? She quickly passed her foot along her leg, relieved to know she had jeans on. She turned, pulling the jacket off her head, and looked at Barry. "I am dressed," she said.

"Yeah, with jeans and a tank-top, you'll be sure to catch a cold," he said.

Claire sat up and looked down. She'd put MOST of her clothes on, but hadn't even thought about the t-shirt. She reached over and grabbed her boots, slipping them on and tying the laces with a sigh. "Am I the last one up?" she asked.

Barry looked to the doors. "Unfortunately, yes," he said.

Claire finished putting on her boots and stood up, picking up her shirt and jacket. She heard yelling and looked at the door as well, then back to Barry. "What's going on?" she asked.

"I think Chris is about to hit Leon again," said Barry.

Claire gasped and ran for the door, putting on the t-shirt as she ran. She got outside and finished pulling it over her head, then looked ahead. Chris was standing in front of Leon, yelling.

"Well maybe you should've thought a bit before doing it!" he said.

Leon didn't move. "Look, I'm really sorry, but nobody got hurt! It just...happened!" he said.

"I know it did, but you could've prevented it!" said Chris.

"Leave him alone, Chris!" said Claire, running over and standing between the two of them. "It wasn't his fault!" she said.

Jill froze when Claire showed up. "Claire, maybe you shouldn't..."

Chris glared at her. "Step aside, Claire, I'm not mad at you...even though you could've done something about it, too." He said.

Claire took in a deep breath, and looked at Chris seriously. "Look, I'm twenty now, okay? I think I'm old enough to sleep with whoever the hell I want!" she said.

"Wha...?" Chris started, staring at her blankly.

Claire blinked, and turned around to look at Leon. He was looking at her wide-eyed, fear showing all over his face. She noticed everyone was looking at her, and shut her eyes. "You SO weren't talking about that, were you..." she said. She could hear Chris' breathing accelerate, and turned around just as he was taking a step forward.

"You did WHAT!" he yelled.

Claire held her arms up, making sure she was standing in front of Leon. "Now, hang on a second," she said.

"SHUT UP! How...why! What the hell did you do?" Chris yelled again, walking towards Leon with a mixture of anger and betrayal causing his voice to crack.

Leon stepped back, watching in horror as Claire's arm seemed to be the only thing saving him from a very painful death. "Chris, you're overreacting," she said. She instantly regretted saying that, since he seemed to be forming tight fists with his hands. His knuckles were even turning white.

"Hey, maybe you should go inside before you attract unwanted attention," said Jill.

"Not now," Chris said. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath. "I don't even know where to start."

Barry nudged Rebecca on the arm, and she looked at him with an instant nod. They went inside the building, finding it best to stay out of it. Jill, however, thought it would be safer to play the cop in case things got out of hand.

Claire sighed. "First off, you don't really have anything to-"

Chris turned away before she even finished. "I can't even look at you right now," he said. He started down the stairs, away from the building.

Claire blinked and ran down the stairs after him. "Hang on!" she said.

"No," he glanced back, and she could tell he wasn't joking around. "Don't talk to me."

"But..."

Chris turned again and walked away. Claire stood on the bottom step, watching him go. "Chris..." she said, sighing. A hand patted her on the shoulder, and she looked down.

"I'll talk to him," said Jill.

"It won't help...I've never seen him so upset," she said.

Jill stepped in front of her and smiled. "Look, your brother and I have been through a lot, and I've learned one important thing about him throughout the years...he loves you WAY too much, so there's no way he'll be able to stay away too long," she said.

Claire looked over her shoulder in shock. Jill blinked and turned around, seeing Chris running back towards them. She took a step forward and grinned. "See?" she said.

"Move!" yelled Chris.

"What'd he say?" Jill asked, turning to look at Claire. She saw a crimson-head zombie running towards Claire, and quickly pulled her gun out. "Get down!" she yelled.

Claire didn't think, and simply ducked down. Jill fired a round right between the zombie's eyes, and looked around to see them gathering all around. "Shit," she said.

At the sound of the shot, Barry and Rebecca had run back out of the building, guns in hand. Leon ran to them for cover, since he no longer had a gun.

Chris turned and fired several rounds at the horde of zombies that had been running after him. He took most of them out, but a more persistent one ran up the first set of stairs and lunged at him. He waited until the last second before jumping to the side and kicking it in the back. The zombie fell to the pavement, and Chris stomped his boot down on the back of its head. He brought the gun back up and shot one of the zombies that was running up behind Jill then quickly turned to finish off the last few of the horde.

Jill heard the zombie fall behind her, and started shooting the ones that were surrounding them. It only took a few minutes before they were all down for the count. She looked around once more then glanced over to Chris. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Chris looked up, and sighed as he put his gun away. "Yeah...I saw them running and turned around right away. You guys good?" he asked. Jill and Claire nodded. Chris looked up to Barry and Rebecca, who put their guns away and nodded as well. He saw Leon standing behind them, and quickly turned his attention back to Jill. "We should move," he said.

Claire stepped forward nervously. "Chris, can we talk?" she asked.

Chris turned around and started down the stairs, but stopped and took in a deep breath. He could tell by her tone that she was on the verge of tears, and he'd promised himself years ago that he'd never be the cause of that. He sighed and turned around to face her again. "Inside," he said, heading back up the stairs towards the building.

Claire watched him walk right by her and head inside, sighed, and turned to Jill. "Think I'll live?" she asked.

Jill grinned. "If you're not back in an hour, we'll send backup," she said.

"Thanks..." Claire said, walking towards the building.

"And Claire, if he starts turning green, run! We don't want another Doctor Banner incident in there," said Jill.

Claire disappeared through the doors, and Barry walked over to Jill. "You know what I like about you?" he asked, smiling.

Jill smiled back. "Everything?" she said.

Barry laughed. "Well yeah, but I mostly like how you know when jokes are appropriate or not," he said.

"What are you saying?" Jill asked.

"This is a pretty serious thing, and you're still going around cracking jokes," he said.


End file.
